


Standing By

by howlingwolvesonfire



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drabble-esque, F/M, Gen, Humor, Post-Tartaros Arc (Fairy Tail), and a ~secret couple~, even though the premise is about love doctors there's not a lot of actual romance lol, except for our main two idiots here, it's more about human relationships in general than specifically romance, love doctors, relationship drama, that I'm sure those who know me will see coming a mile away
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 7,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26275108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howlingwolvesonfire/pseuds/howlingwolvesonfire
Summary: Cobra’s life takes a turn for the weird when a certain white-haired demon offers him and Lucy an especially interesting job–as love doctors. With inward and outward conflict brewing, can Cobra keep his cool against those looking for love advice? Or will he–and Lucy–fall victim to something far worse? Drabble-esque.
Relationships: Cobra | Erik & Midnight | Macbeth, Cobra | Erik & Mirajane Strauss, Cobra | Erik/Lucy Heartfilia, Lucy Heartfilia & Mirajane Strauss
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! If anyone knows me from FF and thinks that this story looks new yet familiar that's because...it is! I went back over the first section (or as I call it Day 1) and re-edited + added in some stuff to make the plot actually...a plot. So if you've already read the FF.net version I highly recommend rereading it as I publish it on here! I plan on fully updating all the chapters of the FF version once the re-edited parts have gone up here. The basic core of the story I thought up in 2015 remains largely the same, just now with a more fully realized course of action and more set-up in the beginning. I hope everyone here joins me once again for what I'm sure will be a fun ride!
> 
> Daily updates until Day 1 is complete and then...an announcement...
> 
> Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

It was another lovely day in the city of Magnolia. Fairy Tail was rather peaceful for once, their normally boisterous energy being replaced with a quieter hum that filled the guild room with a pleasant buzz. The most fight-prone members of the guild were gone on various missions, and while the Master was sure to have a fit once the regular monthly damage bill came in, even he couldn't deny that the peace at the guildhall was rather relaxing after endless bouts of guild damaging squabbles.

So, in a sense, having Crime Sorciere visit on this day made perfect sense. No Natsu to get Cobra into an all-out fight, no Laxus to push Jellal into a drinking spree, and no Gajeel to play his loosely defined "music" and inevitably push one or more of the members to smash a chair into his metal-pierced face. A few would regret not being there, as the independent guild's company had won over quite a few in Fairy Tail; but all in all, it was not a bad trade for a little bit of quiet.

If only the residents of the guild had known what would transpire during that week when all was seemingly quiet. Maybe they would have wished for at least one troublemaker to stay, at least that insanity would have been manageable.


	2. Day 1 (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend Eien helped come up with the current title "Standing By" which is why this story's called that. I honestly can't remember the original title. Thanks again Eien for helping with that and other parts of this fic.

* * *

Their entry was the same as always, with Jellal going inside first to announce their presence.

"Jellal!" Erza said happily through a mouthful of her prized strawberry cake. She was in quite the good mood since seeing Gray and Natsu off on their shared mission together. (No one had the heart to tell her that the only reason they took it was to evade her wrath since they had been arguing at the request board for over ten minutes.)

"Hello again, Erza," Jellal replied with a smile as the rest of Crime Sorciere spilled out into the guild. Meredy immediately pulled off her hood and ran towards Juvia who embraced her in a tight hug before pulling apart and talking excitedly about all the stuff that had happened at either guild since the last time they were together. Racer headed towards Jet and Droy's table and was welcomed with plenty of drinks while Hoteye chatted pleasantly with Lisanna who giggled instead of groaned every time he made a "love" statement.

Sorano complained loudly about Gray not being there but nonetheless moved over to the Thunder Legion's table to have a discussion with Evergreen. Midnight followed her to the table as well, even though his nodding head suggested that he wasn't going to be of much conversation at the moment. Jellal sat across from Erza, one part of him trying to make small talk and the other part simply content on seeing her again, happy and enjoying her favorite food.

Cobra held himself back from gagging, _Zeref_ his boss could be so cringe-worthy sometimes. He made a mental note to tease him about it later before glancing around. Where was he going to sit again?


	3. Day 1 (Part 2)

Eventually, Cobra settled down next to the only person who didn't give him a migraine trying to keep track of their insane head, Lucy Heartfillia.

Lucy was interesting in many ways to Cobra. When they had first come to the guild shortly after joining Crime Sorciere she had been one of the most welcoming, despite the fact that she had one of the biggest reasons to despise and reject them. Not to say she trusted them whole-heartedly or anything–she certainly wasn't stupid–but the lack of open hostility shared by some of her teammates at the start was one of the oddest things he'd ever encountered. A little hostility, anger, or even fear was common among the people who had seen them as past enemies, but to see that her soul held none of those feelings was just...bizarre.

Even months after, he continued to find new and surprising things about her. The Poison Dragonslayer wasn't one for what he considered "sentimental nonsense", but he could easily see himself having a deeper bond with the Celestial Mage than anyone else in the guild. (To be fair, she didn't really have any serious competition.)

Cobra shook his head slightly and sent a thanks to the gods that no one else had his Soul Reading ability. He definitely didn't want anyone else knowing about that.


	4. Day 1 (Part 3)

Lucy's gaze hadn't shifted since Cobra sat down. Her eyes stared ahead absentmindedly, her fingers twirling around the straw in her drink.

I still can't believe how quiet it is now that so many people are gone. It has been nice, but I suppose after so long I've circled back around to being bored again. I definitely can't tell Natsu or even Gray that. They certainly don't need ego boosts on top of everything else. Maybe they'll have mellowed out after a week fighting among themselves at their job. That reminds me, I still need some money for rent. I'm not as short as usual, thank Mavis. I swear every time I've asked for a small extension the landlady always gave the nastiest glare...

The next several thoughts consisted of less than pleasant descriptions of her "demon" landlady. As amusing as Lucy's thoughts were, Cobra could sense them beginning to trail and decided to snap her back to reality.


	5. Day 1 (Part 4)

Cobra rapped his tan knuckles on the table, "Oi, Bright Eyes. You can think about how unflattering your demon landlady would look in that miniskirt later."

Lucy yelped, spinning around to stare surprisingly at the now smirking man.

"Cobra?! When did you even get here?" Now it was his turn to look surprised.

"You really didn't hear us come in?" A shocked face quickly morphed into a grin, "Geez, just how deep in thought were you about all that?" A guffaw threatened to break out. Lucy's face reddened significantly. "Maybe I'll have to start calling you 'Deaf Ears' instead of Bright Eyes."

"If you so dare as whisper that around my friends I will make sure Erza knows about the time you snuck into my house and put forty snakes in my dresser drawers." There is no joking tone to be found in her steely cool voice. Cobra would not live to see the dawn if she told the psycho that.

"Alright, fine. It's not like that would have stuck anyways." Was it just him, or did just a tinge of redness stay when he said that?

Well, at least he had her attention now.


	6. Day 1 (Part 5)

"So, how did your last mission go?" Lucy was the first to speak again, her hands closing around her drink as she gazed at him expectedly.

Cobra grunted, "Nothing special, just another dumb ass dark guild that thought they could take us on. This one's whole deal was really petty crimes, so it's not like they were impressive to begin with. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't get busted earlier by the council, or literally any other guild."

"Apparently the council's going through some renovations. I wouldn't be surprised if they lacked in the criminal catching department for a while."

Cobra snorted, "Not like they had the best record for dealing with them in the first place. When we're doing way worse shit than that they didn't even bother to step in until it was almost too late."

Lucy fingers fidgeted around her cup, "I suppose that is true."

Cobra paused, wondering if maybe he shouldn't have mentioned that. Comparing small-time thieves to what he and the other Oracion Seis did was a bit - ok, a lot unfair.

Lucy sighed, "I suppose that's good news for us too, seeing as how we cause way more trouble than those guys ever could." She chuckled darkly. Cobra released an inward breath; that was certainly true. Now he should probably steer the conversation towards a slightly lighter topic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a rough timeline it's been about six months after Tartarous. Obv with the canon AU tag you can guess that the guild disbanding does not occur here.


	7. Day 1 (Part 6)

"Did everyone just decide to skip town today? It's way too quiet in here." Lucy smiled softly and rolled her eyes ever so slightly.

"A lot of the heavy hitters left not too long before you guys arrived. It's been almost too quiet I feel, but it is nice in a way." She put a hand to her face and stirred her drink. "Although, even with all of them gone I still have rent to pay."

"Shouldn't you be out on a job too then? Dealing with your demon landlord doesn't sound enticing."

"It's not, believe me. But I haven't been able to find a slower paced job yet." She took a large sip of her drink before continuing. "...I want to take it a bit easier right now. Before everyone comes back and things get busier again." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper as she spoke those last words.


	8. Day 1 (Part 7)

A strange feeling of unease from Lucy washed over Cobra. Even without his Soul Reading ability, it was clear something else was up with Lucy's statement.

"Everyone around you skips town so now you want to take it easy? Shouldn't you be partying it up then, while you still can?"

This response received a flinch, followed by a glare from Lucy. A little more intensely than he expected (although, after being at Fairy Tail for any amount of time, perfecting a "back off" glare was absolutely considered a necessary tool to have at one's disposal). "What's wrong with wanting to relax and take it easy? It isn't every day that we're short this many people. I'll have you know I've done enough relaxing to make up for at least three perilous missions with Natsu at this point." She took a rather annoyed slurp of her drink.

Yeah, you sure look it. Cobra's thoughts echoed inside of his own head. He bit his tongue back from saying the words out loud. A part of him desperately, almost greedily, wanted to pry open the obvious contrast in her words and attitude, but a rare form of self-control kept him back. Or maybe it was in the thinking of dragging this conclusion out a bit more...

"With the whole rent thing...I was hoping I'd be able to do some columns for Sorcerer Weekly as a commission but…"

"Oh ho, going to become a tabloid writer for a week? Well, I suppose when the times are tough." He leaned in a bit, his body language adding to the sarcasm. "What is the column titled 'Top Ten Ways Not to Die in a Guildhall'?"

A memory hit Cobra with the intensity of a Fire Dragon yell. A sudden, violent slamming. Documents flying everywhere, a voice calling out. The same voice, comforting. Waiting until it was gone to cry, no, sob pitifully only to be woken up a few hours later. A powerful, terrible feeling of–

Cobra gave a quick snort and pulled away from Lucy. What was that? His head was foggy from the memories flooding into it. He tried to quickly gauge from Lucy's face but saw that she was no longer looking at him. The images became suppressed like she was shutting them inside a deep, dark box he could no longer see into.

"Lu-"

Before he could say anything in response, a glass slammed down on the table.


	9. Day 1 (Part 8)

Both he and Lucy jumped (although he was less startled by the glass's violent arrival and more by the fact that he hadn't heard the person coming at all), causing whatever he was about to say to rapidly flee his mind as he started to glare at the interrupter, only to stop half-way through.

Oh, this was just peachy.

"Mira! Don't scare us like that!" Lucy whined slightly, laying her arms out on the table as her head plopped itself shakily down as well in relief. Mirajane's form hinted at none of the violence that she had exhibited just a second before, her face awash in a deep smile and her hand that had smashed the drink now up to her lips in a playful sort of way. Personally, Cobra often wondered which one he had to worry about more; the fiery hammer-wielding red-head, or the demon matchmaker with way too much time on her hands?

Ideally, he wouldn't have to ever deal with either of them, but life has never been kind to him, so why start now?

"Oops! Sorry, that it was a bit too forceful. I got a little carried away there."


	10. Day 1 (Part 9)

"Carried away? How does that even happen when you're just setting down a glass?" Mirajane gave an odd look at Cobra's remark but said nothing, simply pushing the glass nearer towards him.

"Actually, this one's for you...I've been experimenting lately with different types of poisons, so I think you'll really like this one."

He narrowed his single eye. "I haven't ordered anything."

Mirajane struck her signature barmaid pose, the glass tray clasped in both arms, both her eyes closed with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she replied. "Oh, don't worry, this one's on the house today."

While she said those words, Cobra finally began to clearly register her thoughts for the first time that day.

And that was also when the afternoon truly took a turn for worse.


	11. Day 1 (Part 10)

"Are you actually insane? As if I'd ever agree to something like that!"

The quiet yet amiable chatter ground to a halt as more than a few heads shifted to look in Cobra's direction. Normally shouting was barely regarded with a passing thought in the guildhall, but with so many members gone it felt like a bomb going off. Noticing the shift in the atmosphere of the room, Cobra chose to simply glare at the barmaid (who hadn't shifted from her much too happy smile since she spoke) and hope that she would drop her horrid plan and leave.

On that note of wishful thinking, it would also be nice if Zeref would just drop dead and for all the dark guilds to spontaneously combust all at once. While he was wishing for nice things.

Mirajane stared at him with an almost awe-filled look in her eyes. "Well now," she paused for a small giggle which nearly elicited a growl from Cobra, "you're taking this much better than I expected you too."


	12. Day 1 (Part 11)

Although still agitated, Cobra reluctantly decided to not just storm straight out of the guild hall. However, this didn't mean he was just going to sit here and continue listening to this nonsense. "The answer is no, demon."

"Just wait a moment while I properly explain it to you–to the both of you that is." The guild had calmed down from the earlier noise and was once again settled into its former peaceful lull (although a few stray glances still fell on the odd trio from time to time). Mirajane wedged herself between Lucy and Cobra at the table, the former throwing concerned glances at the two while the latter tried his best to avoid any eye contact with the barmaid. It was far harder than it sounded. "I think you'll find my proposal much more agreeable once you've heard all of it."

Cobra snorted. Somehow he doubted that.

Despite Cobra's cold shoulder, Mirajane wasted no time in quietly explaining her amazing plan to them.


	13. Day 1 (Part 12)

"It's simple, really, see," she pauses for a split second to glance around as if daring anyone else to listen in on the conversation. Cobra's tolerance of the whole situation went down about ten percent more than it already was. "Ever since we defeated Tartarous and rebuild the guild again, there's been a big problem that's just been eating away at me!"

Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "A problem? But everything's been pretty normal since then." Her eyes shifted downwards, "well, mostly normal at least…"

The she-devil's hands slammed down on the table at the remark. "Exactly!"

Lucy's eyes leaped up to meet wild electric blue; Cobra internally groaned as the thought Mirajane was about to say next reverberated inside his skull.

"Ever since Tartarous everyone's slipped back into their usual ways! There's been practically no romantical progress for…well…anyone!"

If sweat drops had sound effects, Cobra was sure he just heard Lucy's.


	14. Day 1 (Part 13)

"Is…that what this is all about?"

"Yes! It's just such a shame you know? You put so much time and effort into shipping charts and cute headcanons and even sometimes interfering in real life, but for all that hard work all you get are hopeless pairs of idiots!" The take-over mage sulked in her seat a bit as if she just became aware of the harsh reality of love. Cobra could not have been more out of it.

"And you think we could help you with this problem…how?"

Mirajane brightened at Lucy's inquiry. "Ah, yes! You two are just perfect for what I had in mind to fix this little problem!"

"You see, when people get sick they turn to doctors for help and advice, soooooo, when faced with a problem of love, who would one turn to?"

"Friends? Family? Maybe a...psychologist?"

"No, Bright Eyes, you see…those are the sane answers." Cobra leaned in closer as if he was sharing some profound wisdom with her. "There are no sane answers with the she-devil."

"If you're done chatting amongst yourselves, I'd like to answer my own question." Mirajane spoke with her trademark smile and Cobra glared reproachfully. He knew there'd be hell to pay if she wasn't in such a fine mood already, so he leaned back in and continued avoiding eye contact.

"I admit that those are all reasonable responses Lucy. However, sometimes even the consoling and advice of other loved ones cannot truly help if the situation has already been deemed hopeless. No, what one must turn to in times of such need is…" she paused and closed one eye for dramatic effect, "...a love doctor!"


	15. Day 1 (Part 14)

Lucy sat speechless at the revelation. "Love…doctor?"

"Precisely! Ones well versed in the art of mending broken hearts, guiding ones down the path of new and old flames!" Mira's smile seemed to be trying to break away from her face as she explained this information.

"And you think me…and Cobra," she glanced at him and he could see (and basically hear) the gears turning in her head, "to…be…" She gasped. He let out a sigh.

"Yep, exactly that Bright Eyes. She thinks we're actually capable of holding a position as asinine as what she just spouted out."

"Oh, at least let me explain my reasoning! I know you two might seem a little unconventional, but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't work!"

Cobra imagined dark, violent scenarios on how he was going to end himself right here and now as Mirajane cleared her breath to continue.


	16. Day 1 (Part 15)

"Although at first it would appear odd that I would choose the two of you specifically, after careful consideration it makes perfect sense. First there's you, Cobra," she gestured towards him and he made no visible response, "obviously your Soul Reading ability plays a big role in all this." Still no response. She scooted ever so closer to the dragonslayer.

"You can generally tell what someone is thinking just by listening to their soul! Not only that, but I've heard you can tell deeper feelings if you listen hard enough, feelings that could be the key to unlocking the next chapter of that person's romantic journey!"

At this Cobra did respond by looking wide-eyed at her. "How exactly do you know that?" He asked curtly. It wasn't as if this information was somehow forbidden knowledge, he had explained it to several people before who had asked, including Lucy. The fact that the she-devil knew about it though…it unnerved him.

Mirajane giggled, "Oh, a friend mentioned it to me one day."

The one-eyed slayer made a mental note to interrogate every last damn person he knew until he found the traitorous scum and annihilated them on the spot. At this point in time he could honestly state he had killed over less than that.

Before he could run through a list of potential suspects though, Mirajane continued on.


	17. Day 1 (Part 16)

"With this ability, picking out exactly what's wrong with a person's situation would be a piece of cake. Not only that," she moved in even closer to him as Lucy picked up her drink and sipped in, surprisingly a little engrossed in what Mira was saying, "but your personality also means it won't be hard at all to give a little tough love to one who really needs it!"

"Who's to say I just won't be an asshole and tear your perfect little chart to tatters?" He said, stating it to be meant as much a fact as a threat. Mirajane still held onto her grin at this, making Cobra's eye grow darker.

"As much as I appreciate you proving my point, there's already a solution in place for this problem." She then turned to look warmly at Lucy, who went wide-eyed at the unexpected look and nearly choked on the remainder of her drink as she set it down.

"Me? That's my role in this? Occasionally reigning in this douchebag when he goes too far?" She looked…a little disappointed at the whole thing. Mirajane quickly shook her head no.

"Oh, no…I mean, that is a part of it, but only a very small part, I assure you. In fact, I feel you have the more difficult side of the job."

Cobra gave a half-snort, only to be lightly kicked by a sandal. Lucy shot a glare at him before staring back at Mira, motioning her to continue on. Out of all the times to get curious…. Cobra thought with a scowl.


	18. Day 1 (Part 17)

"Yes, you'll be helping Cobra in dealing with the problems that arise from each client. Honesty may be a good policy, but having another person around to give other feedback can be just as helpful!" Lucy nodded at all of this, then paused.

"But wouldn't someone like Erza or Levy be more practical for that kind of position? At least Erza would definitely be able to keep Cobra in line." She cast an evil smirk at Cobra, who almost involuntarily shuddered.

"Don't you dare even joke about that."

Her smirk fell away into a smile and she laughed, a bit of the previous tension falling away.

"Erza…could work, but only under very specific conditions. I'm afraid she has her own romantic progress that I'd like to see…resolved." A dark gleam passed through Mirajane's eyes for only a second but Cobra knew she was looking straight past the two of them to Erza and Jellal across the hall. "The same goes for Levy, also she's been busy with a few new books lately." Mira looked back at Lucy then. "But even if they weren't already wrapped up in their own things right now, I still think you'd be the best one for the job Lucy."


	19. Day 1 (Part 18)

"You've shown yourself to step outside of your own comforts to help people…and I dare say you're one of the easiest people to befriend here." She put her hand on Lucy's own and smiled. "You're just the type of person one would trust wholeheartedly to talk about a private matter; and one they know would give their all to help them."

Lucy squinted her eyes a bit at Mirajane, as if not fully believing her words. For the first time since beginning the conversation with Mira, Cobra felt as if the veil of general politeness and unbridled enthusiasm parted away to reveal a far softer side. A far cry from Lucy's almost somber-looking face at the statement. Despite this though, he could begin to see a small blush forming on her face as she began to remember different events of exchanges with fellow guild members. He rubbed his hands together and tried not to let the memories overwhelm him.

"It's not like that, really. I just don't like sitting by while others are suffering." Despite this, the blush deepened on her face. Mirajane gave a quiet confirmation after.

"I know you can do it Lucy. You'd be a great love doctor."

It was so pure…so sweet…so inspiring…Cobra was definitely feeling like gagging from it all.


	20. Day 1 (Part 19)

"Oh, and not only will you be helping him, but you'll also be writing everything down!" She squealed and clapped her hands together in pure delight. "Then I'll be able to be in the know along with you guys!"

"Isn't that in the assumption that we'll even do this thing in the first place?" Cobra finally spoke up, directing both girl's attention to him. "This is obviously crazy and neither of us want anything to do with it, right Bright Eyes?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, then cast them downwards. "It does seem a little absurd, no offense Mira, besides you know I'm trying to take it easy–"

"Oh don't worry about that!" Mirajane interjected. "Despite my enthusiasm regarding the job, it'll really only be a few hours in the afternoon for, let's say, for now, a week?" She spoke in a calm, convincing tone. "I'll make sure you two can take frequent breaks if need be, so you don't have to push yourself too hard if you...don't want to."

Lucy's eyes widened a little at this response. She seemed almost a little taken aback by this response before settling back down again. Mira also appeared to deflate a little. The crazy love monster energy in her eyes slowly fading back into a gentle expression.

"There won't be any weird surprises, I promise. I made sure to think of everything, just in case."

Lucy gave no response to Mira's whisper, but she didn't seem to be strictly against the idea like Cobra was. He wasn't sure if it was the words Mira spoke or her own spinning thoughts but a small change washed over her that made him panic slightly.

Oh no. She could not drag him into this.


	21. Day 1 (Part 20)

"Hey, is it really alright to drag someone looking to relax on volunteer duty for your little schemes?"

Mirajane turned her head at this. "Whatever do you mean? This is a job. I'll be paying both of you for your time and services on this project." She gave a tiny pout in Cobra's direction. "Honestly, do you really think I'm the type of person to ask someone of their time with nothing in return?"

Lucy looked on in shock. "Wait, really?" She suddenly scooted in a little closer, the wariness almost completely gone from her eyes. "I...I might be a little more interested now. Um, I mean, it was a little interesting before, but considering my circumstances..."

Mirajane giggled. "It's no problem at all Lucy," she stated warmly, the sincerity obvious in her tone.

Cobra felt the unspoken gratitude radiate off Lucy, one that was countered by his increasing sense of being trapped with increasingly few options of escape.


	22. Day 1 (Part 21)

"Well good for you then," Cobra responded, his mind racing for any kind of excuse that would leave him out entirely. After a moment's consideration, he realized a single, fatal flaw in her plan and had to stop himself from grinning. "Unfortunately I don't think we'll be around long enough for this whole scheme of yours to take effect. You know how my boss usually is; can't stay in one place too long or else we'll end up attracting the wrong kind of attention."

Of course, usually, this was true. As it turned out, this time Jellal arranged for them to be there for over a week, claiming that he had reason to believe something unnatural was around the town. Cobra chalked it up to roughly twenty percent actual worry and eighty percent realization that security had become so lax they could probably walk into the middle of town square unhooded and no one would bat an eye. Add to that a healthy dose of scarlet red and they were going to be there for a while.

Cobra hoped that she would buy the excuse for long enough for Lucy to get settled into the job (perhaps with someone else filling in for him) and then by the time she found out the truth, he'd be far, far away from it all. If he needed to hide for a week, he would. He was no stranger to hiding from others, after all.

"Oh? Then why did Erza tell me this morning she was looking forward to seeing everyone all week? Or...is there something you're not telling me?"

Despite the fact that he probably should have been able to tell that this would fail; Cobra still ended surprised that everything fell apart in an instance.


	23. Day 1 (Part 22)

After a disgruntled growl from Cobra–which could have suggested many things but that Mira decided to take as a dismissal of his last statement–she slowly stood up and once again smiled warmly at the two of them.

"Well, I suppose I've told you two enough for now. Ultimately I can't force you to take the job…"

She glanced at Cobra.

"…but I do think it would work out the best if both of you are there."

The poison dragon-slayer shot a death glare at the barmaid and nearly bared his teeth in retort. "I heard you the first damn time, demon."

Mirajane only continued smiling at this.

"I think I'll accept, Mira," Lucy stated. Her small smile confirmed that she had been successfully suckered into the role without a second thought–at least this was how Cobra chose to interpret it.

"I'll tell you more about it later, and you can tell Cobra if he accepts."

Lucy nodded while Cobra chose to ignore them again.

Before she left to tend to the other Fairy Tail members, Mirajane's eyes stared directly at Cobra. "Remember, your drink's on the house," she said, before giving the least subtle and most pain inducing wink Cobra could possibly imagine.

There was no way in hell he was touching that thing now. The fact that it was literally poisoned was suddenly the least deadly thing about it.


	24. Day 1 (Part 23)

The minute the demon barmaid left his general line of sight, (and just enough out of range for him to easily tune out her soul) the tense pose Cobra held fell away as he put a hand over his one eye in exasperation. Somehow his entire week had gone from mildly ok to hellish thanks to a single terrible suggestion. It just didn't seem fair for the she-devil to single the two of them out when there were so many other horrible candidates to choose from.

And to make matters worse…Lucy was totally giving him the puppy dog eyes. Both mentally, and physically.

Pleeeeasssse, Cobra. Pleeeeeasssse?

"Absolutely not. Mention and or think of it again and I will leave and never return."

"Come on! I'll be so bored if I'm just there all by myself the whole time!" Brown, soft eyes gazed into his very soul as she spoke. Those things were a powerful weapon that she was absolutely misusing currently. "Consider it?…At least for me? Please?"

Cobra's eye held its gaze on Lucy. He opened his mouth to say something but just as quickly closed it. He seemed to be mulling it over in his mind as Lucy anxiously awaited a reply. Finally, he sighed.

"No."

End of discussion.


	25. Day 1 (Part 24)

The rest of the day went fairly predictably. Cobra continued shooting Lucy down whenever she mentioned the job, claiming that he wanted no part of it and that it would almost definitely function just fine without him. It was around the third time the topic abruptly switched to the job that he excused himself and fled to a tucked away table to mull over events.

Kinana actually managed to run into him towards the end of the day. Since she was normally working during the day at the guild he tried not to hog up too much of her time if he didn't absolutely need to be around a sane person. She–mercifully–had no idea what Mirajane was planning, so he was able to have a nice talk with her about guild happenings. All the while keeping extra on guard for any surprise appearances by either Mira or Lucy.

Eventually it was nearing closing time, so Jellal called them out and they all headed back to where they were camped out at the edge of town. Cobra made especially sure to not make eye contact with anyone on the way out. From his quick glance at her table, however, Lucy wasn't even still in the guild. It wasn't that much of a surprise given the events of the day, and even though he definitely didn't want to initiate any more conversation, a pang of…something made him feel a little less better than he already was feeling. Which wasn't really great to begin with.

So, there he sat in the dead of night. Alone and awake in the tent he shared with Macbeth, since the latter was out on guard duty, wondering just what the hell to make of it all...


	26. Day 1 (Part 25)

The ground was hard and the air crisp that night. Comfort was never going to be the first priority of fugitives, so all Cobra had to sleep on was a mat so thin he might as well have just been sleeping on the ground. Not that he was especially picky where he slept…unlike some of his teammates.

No matter where he was going to sleep, the fact still remained that it seemed like he would get no sleep that night. His mind was still buzzing with thoughts about the day.

The she-devil's plan was insane, obviously. There was no way under normal circumstances that he would even touch anything having to do with that with a ten-foot pole. Leave that stuff to the girls and their wild, unstable imaginations (and perhaps Richard if he was really feeling up to it). Not him...never him.

But...where would his absence leave Lucy exactly? He knew for a fact that the barmaid wouldn't let down her friend after basically promising her a job...but something about Mira's tone of voice made him feel uneasy about leaving her alone.

He'd never been able to ask about what he heard after Mira showed up. The conversation had shifted so much it would have been like asking about an ex after announcing your engagement...damnit that stupid demon's love talk was clearly tainting his metaphors. He signed and wondered if perhaps taking on the job would mean an excuse to ask about it again. But once he asked they might not be able to do the rest of the job as normal...which might not be an entirely bad thing if he thought about it like that...

Cobra's many trains of thought were interrupted by the sound of boots walking towards the tent. Macbeth's shift was over which meant he was coming to swap out now. Which meant even more alone time with his thoughts…Zeref, he was going to be exhausted in the morning. Maybe he would "accidentally" sleep in tomorrow…


	27. Day 1 (Part 26)

Macbeth showed up right on cue, his red eyes showing few hints of exhaustion. Because of his magic, he would have a difficult time going to sleep around the midnight hours, but Jellal didn't want him taking over the night watch completely since he'd just be dead on his feet in the morning. Well, deader than usual anyway.

Macbeth glanced at Cobra and—seeing that he was awake already—yawned and flopped down on his own makeshift bed. Irritated, but with nothing substantial to say, he reluctantly got up and went to go do his part of the night watch.

He was half-way out the tent door before he heard a voice call out, "So, are you going to do it, or not?"


	28. Day 1 (Part 27)

Cobra had never turned around faster in his life.

Macbeth hadn't moved from his initial position lying down, but one red eye was cracked open to stare right at him. "So?" he asked again.

It would be dangerous to assume what Macbeth was talking about, that, and simultaneously it was difficult to get a read on his soul. Macbeth possessed the annoying ability (thanks in part to Brain and in part his own magic) to misdirect Cobra when need be. Luckily he had an ace up his sleeve. "Doing what exactly? I don't remember any of us having plans this week. Besides the usual Jellal annoyances."

Unfortunately, even ace's backfire, as Macbeth did nothing but grin at this statement, the kind of grin that Cobra knew all too well and that made a chill go down his spine.

"What exactly? I mean whatever that fairy barmaid roped you into doing, of course."


	29. Day 1 (Part 28)

Cobra stiffened. "I didn't get 'roped into' anything. I said no, end of story."

"But you've been debating it. You've had that contemplative scowl on your face ever since we left the guild." Cobra debated whether or not to ask what qualified as a "contemplative scowl" before Macbeth continued. "So I figured you were probably leaning towards accepting for one reason or another."

"Why do you care?"

"Oh, I don't. I don't even need to ask what it is she asked of you. But Jellal will…if you accept." Damn, he hadn't even thought about Jellal. Not that he cared, either way, whatever that asshole thought, but if he did have to explain and Jellal knew…

"Everyone else would follow suit." That cheeky no good grin again. So this was what he was after, effective blackmail either way.

"I could just kill you in your sleep. No one would mind. Be less of a hassle overall."

His smile only grew. "Or, you could leave me alive and have me cover for you while you're gone."


	30. Day 1 (Part 29)

Cobra's eyes narrowed. "Like hell."

"I'm actually serious." In stark contrast to his words, Macbeth yawned and continued, "whether or not they believe me they'll hardly press much considering my nature. They'll probably just brush it aside if I'm there to give a quick lie."

Cobra frowned, confused. "You'll cover for me…just because?"

"Oh, no. Make no mistake. I do this for you, you'll owe me one." For the first time since Macbeth spoke up, he looked away from Cobra, "but I won't ask what you're doing, and I'll make sure no one else does either."

It was strange to hear an almost…apologetic tone in Macbeth's voice with his last line. Cobra thought better than to pry that can of worms open. He still wasn't sure what exactly the little creep wanted, but he didn't detect blatant dishonesty at the very least. It would come at a cost, but now it seemed there was even less reason for him not to go.

He wasn't sure if he respected or despised Macbeth for that.


	31. Day 1 (Part 30)

Cobra turned around and began taking his first step outside as Macbeth called behind him. "Hey, take me up on my offer or not?"

He paused for only a moment. "My answer'll be whether or not I'm gone tomorrow."

The man didn't have to see Macbeth to hear the smirk in his voice. "Guess that's a yes then."

Gritting his teeth as he left, Cobra cursed the world for his rotten luck and the bizarre coincidences that led him to this very moment. He sincerely hoped a dark guild would attack that night, leaving them to fight for their lives and taking any sliver of a chance he might have had at going and shattering it to pieces.

Instead, it was quiet that night. The sky clear and full of stars.


	32. Day 1 (Intermission I)

_In a field on the outskirts of Fiore_

"How did you get us into this?!"

"Me? You were the one who picked the job request!"

"Only because you were seriously content on a fight to the death with Erza in-between us!"

The ice and fire mage respectively proceeded to shout various other insults, obscenities, and general curses at each other across the field they stood in as the person who requested the job looked on in a panic. "Please, both of you! The horses will get spooked if you-"

Just as he spoke a full-grown horse with a wild black mane and a thick brown body burst from the field right above where Gray was and charged him. Gray barely had enough time to put up a shield before he was kicked by the rampaging stallion and collapsed on the ground. The horse snorted in disgust and promptly dove back underground.

Natsu howled in delight at Gray's misfortunate. Karma was swift, however, as seconds later another horse emerged from right below Natsu, this time taking him up on his back as it leaped up. The dragonslayer immediately turned green as the horse seemed to not slow down as it plowed across the field; the sick mage unintentionally holding on tight to its mane.

The ranch owner rubbed his temples in frustration at the carnage. More than half a dozen holes lay scattered across the field, each one created by a horse that had been disturbed by the noise. He had tried to explain to the two when they arrived that they needed to be quiet and delicate when stepping on the field as the horses were ripe to come springing out. One thing led to another and the two were stranded in the middle of the field, screaming at each other and making the horses spring out like popcorn. The rancher wanted people to help grab his crop before it burrowed further underground, but at this rate, he would be lucky to capture one horse by day's end.

He winced as Natsu was finally bucked off and the horse dove back underground. Now the two were even further into the field. "Ok, I get that you two don't like each other, but please just slowly walk back and we can start on your actual job-"

Before he could finish once again, yet another horse sprung out of the ground, this time butting Gray in the head and kicking Natsu in rapid succession. The two lay dazed on the ground as the rancher threw up his hands in disgust.

Forget a week; it would take the rest of the month to harvest the horses properly. If they even managed to get out of the field alive…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off a real DnD creature my friend made up. Can you tell they're not a fan of horses?


	33. Day 1 (Intermission ll)

Just as night was falling in Magnolia, a certain man began to hum a strange tune. He continued the melody as the sun set and the moon rose, watching it all from his balcony on the top of his second-story house. It really was a marvelous night, the sky clear and the stars shining brightly. He was glad to live on the outskirts of town, a place where he could look up at the sky and appreciate the beauty of nature without having to worry about anything else.

Of course, not everyone in the house shared his sentimentality.

"So, when's this thing starting up again?" A rough voice answered from the darkness of the inside. The man chuckled. He could sense her impatience from outside.

"Well, according to Perse...tomorrow I think I'll be paying it a visit."

"I confirmed it just a few hours ago, sir. It should be all set up by morning." Another voice called out from the darkness. A higher-pitched, but sterner sounding voice that carried with it a level of pride and cold efficiency.

He waved his hand nonchalantly, not turning around to see if the people inside the house saw it. "Thank you ever so much for setting part of this up, Perse. I had no idea it would be so easy to get her to agree to host on that property."

"It wasn't all that hard to lead her to inquire about it. It seems she's had this idea for longer than we thought." The second voice declared.

The first voice mumbled something indistinguishable before speaking up. "Not to be the one doubting or nothin', but are you sure this'll even work?"

"Of course I'm not, what a silly question my dear!" The man laughed, not in a cruel way, but as if he had heard a particularly funny joke. The voices inside hushed. "Does one perform an experiment if they already know the answer? No! They perform it to see if their hypothesis is to be true!"

"And you believe yours to be true, sir?" The second voice answered, hesitantly, as if not to accidentally offend. The other voice huffed in response.

"I would hope so, but wouldn't it be grand Perse?" He looked up at the clear sky, the stars reflecting in his own clear sky blue eyes. He lifted up the champagne glass he was drinking from as if to give a toast to the very heavens. A smile graced his lips.

"Wouldn't it be grand to be completely wrong!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Five years ago tomorrow (Oct 6th) is the fifth year anniversary of me originally posting this fic. I thought I had planned to post the final edited part then but I suppose I miscounted the days. Anyways, five years and I only have a seventh of it done is a little sad but re-edited this has easily been the most I've worked on this thing the past year, but I don't want it to stop there. 
> 
> Originally I'd planned on continuing daily updates from now until it was done, but until I build up more of a buffer, I decided to push that back to the start of 2021. When I start up again I want to keep going until it's done, and until I can fulfill that I'll hold off on updating. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's supported this fic on here and FF and I hope you stick around (and let me know your thoughts) going forward! I really, truly do want to finish this thing up, and now that I have a plan for it I think it'll be better than ever. 
> 
> I look forward to seeing everyone in 2021!


End file.
